nonfarm payrolls roads by 136,000 as the hit from hurricane sandy wasn't quite as bad as feared. the unemployment rate fell to a new low of 7.7%, but that was largely because many people had given up looking for work. and nearly half of u.s. companies say they would pull back on hiring if the economy goes over the fiscal cliff. now joining me on krn, jim cash. good morning and thanks for joining us. >> good morning. thank you. >> tell us a little bit about the results of this survey which indicate that companies have been reacting to the fiscal cliff by pulling back on spending or hiring. why haven't we seen that show up in the jobs report? is there a concern that we might see more of a pullback into next year? >> i think that's exactly what this survey is saying. about 50% have already taken some action. i think companies right now are waiting to see what's going to happen and it really comes down to two major issues. if we can get this fiscal cliff issue resolved, then we are looking at a pretty optimismic outlook from our members. but if we don't get the fiscal cliff, almost 6